Leaving on a Jet Plane

Tomorrow at the crack of dawn (possibly before - what time is the sunrise these days?), we will be leaving on a plane for tropical, lush Hawaii. The Big Island. Kona. Where they have real live erupting volcanoes. We can't wait. The last minute trips to the store have been made, including a frantic visit to Old Navy yesterday to find a swimsuit. 11 weeks pregnant means I'm too big to wear my normal suits and too small (and unwilling) to put on the maternity suit just yet. Green Paisley was my choice yesterday. Let's hope I still like it in 48 hours...

Yes, yes, we know we are incredibly lucky to have two (TWO!) opportunities to got to Hawaii in a single year thanks to near simultaneous offers from both sets of parents and the right combination of airline miles and companion fares. We are well aware that the stars will never align in our favor in this way ever again. This trip will be with all of Scott's family - similar to the trip we made two years ago. Although this visit will be nothing like that one, as our family has added two toddlers since that trip. I'm excited to see niece Calla, watch Owen run in the sand, read by the pool, and hopefully see some flowing lava. Sweet!

All that's left to do is drop the dog off, throw things in suitcases, and set our alarms for 4:30(!) AM. I'll be back posting pictures after May 4. To tide you over until then...

Announcement, Announcement, Announcement

The news is out: Maxwell baby #2 is headed our way in mid-November!

We got to see the baby heartbeat on the old school doctor's office ultrasound today, but that grainy, beating image was a wonderful sight. (With the history of twins in this family, it was also a relief to see just one growing baby - few!) I was amazed at how big the baby already looked and can't wait to see some more detailed shots at our 20 week ultrasound.

The second time around is so, so, so different. On the one hand, I've been feeling a lot more exhausted and ill than I ever did with Owen. On the other had, there's just not the concern, confusion, and head-spinning desire to devour information that you have with a first pregnancy. It's a great relief to know that I have done this before and that there are more knowns than unknowns. We got to look forward to all the little milestones along the way (first movement, learning the sex, kicking, even baby hiccups). Let the countdown (or up) begin... 10 weeks down, 30 to go.

Let's see those legs!

Spring is here! We had a real heat wave this weekend - the kind where people seem to be emerging from a long hibernation and blinking at the blinding warmth and glow of the sun (or maybe at the blinding whiteness of our hibernating skin!). We got out to watch the earth day Parade, Scott took my dad mountain biking, we at lunch OUTSIDE, worked in the yard, and barbecued dinner - and that was just Saturday!

Today we hit the road for our first spring hike along Paulina Creek. Owen loved seeing the waterfalls and we were surprised by how much snow was still on the banks (how quickly we forget that it snowed 6 days ago!)


We did a little of this:

a little of this:

a lot of this:

and even some of this:
Owen loved "hiking" on his own. He chanted "hiking, hiking" while we were in the car and on the trail. More to come.

Here's a big difference from our pre-child days... That 4 mile hike would have been the bulk of our day 2 years ago. Today, we were waiting on the doorstep for the bagel shop to open at 8AM and home by 11:30. Plenty of time to play outside and do some yard work BEFORE lunch. No chance to use our hiking adventure as an excuse to avoid the pruning, mowing, and raking that our yard was screaming for this afternoon. Scott even hoisted the top off the Jeep and cruised out to snag us DQ Bilzzards for dessert. Now that's a day that to make you ready for summer!

These are the Saturday pictures, but today looked the same - just with shorts and summer croc sandals. Owen did so great playing in the yard while we worked - nothing better than a happy, grimey, tired kid. Bring on the sun!

Twittering the Weather

If I was on Twitter, this is what you would have seen yesterday:
9:30 AM - Can they really be predicting snow today and 75 degrees on Saturday?

10:00 AM - Snow flakes...in April??

1:30 PM - OMG! Hailing sideways. You have got to be kidding me!

3:30 PM - Sun's out. Hail is melting. Must be spring in Central Oregon.

7:00 PM - Spoke too soon. Real snow is falling - and sticking - in April. Insane.

10:00 PM - Going to bed with 1/2 inch of snow on our deck.

7:00 AM - Snow on our grass and deck. Weather forecast says 80 on Sunday. Central Oregon spring weather is insane... but I'll take it if we really get to wear shorts this weekend.

To go with the snow, Owen and I had a funny interaction this morning that showed me just how much he's paying attention. A few weeks ago, he wanted to wear his "boo-oots" to school and I managed to dissuade him by explaining that we wear boots when it's snowing. Problem solved (because it's SPRING!). This morning, as we wandered sleepily downstairs, he looked out the window...
Owen (pointing): "now-ing"
Me: That's right honey, it snowed last night. The grass is snowy.
Owen (thinking, processing, grinning): Boo-oots!

So, he wore his snow boots to school this morning. Grinning the whole way.

Happy (sicky) Easter!

Happy Easter! We had quite the low-key Easter around the Maxwell house. Both Scott and I woke up feeling crummy and Owen went to bed Saturday night with a teething (we thought) fever. We all rallied to get to church this morning to enjoy a yummy breakfast and lovely service. Owen held it together at church, but the rest of our day was a real struggle. He crashed for an early nap and spent most of the afternoon snuggled with one or the other of us on the couch. Poor kiddo!

We did have time and energy for a short Easter egg hunt after nap time, and Owen was amazingly good at finding the eggs. Neither of us thought he would understand the concept, but he stayed focused to find 20 eggs! The Easter Bunny left Owen a new set of markers and some counting books. Fifteen minutes of coloring and then we were back to the couch. Owen had 4 grapes for dinner and was then in bed by 6:30. Let's hope he has a restorative night - a resurrection of sorts =) - and is ready for school tomorrow.

Saturday in Sunriver

We woke up this weekend with nothing particular on the calendar. We wanted to take advantage the nice weather, so we packed up the dog and headed down to walk the trails at Sunriver. I also wanted to check out the nature center, to see if it would be a good field trip for our Friday Mom's group.

The wind and cold (sunny does not necessarily equal warm in April!) did a number on our glove-less fingers, but we made the walk out to the horse stables and the big "ossies"delighted Owen to no end.(Watching from a distance)

(This big guy took one look at Owen and came strolling right over. Owen was freaked out, but much braver in dad's arms.)

(After lots of horse sniffes and kisses, we had a happy, happy kid.)

We didn't get pictures at the nature center, but Owen loved looking at the frogs and snakes. Turned out to be a nice, last minute family adventure to help us get excited for more excursions this spring and summer.

Ready for Spring

We are SOOOO... ready for spring in this house. Not that the cold weather keeps from bundling up and going outside. It's just that all my indoor tricks are used up and we are ready for a change of scenery. Some recent signs that we need to be spending more time outside:

Furniture as play structure:

Owen has spent the last two weeks playing on this indoor "slide" - he quickly progressed from sliding on his bum, to walking, to sliding headfirst. He also sends all his toys down the slide one by one. A remarkably attention keeping activity.

Mom grasping for ideas: "Owen, can you help me put away the silverware?" Result:

The recent favorite is playing in the "bah-tor" or Water as we English speakers like to say.

Owen was actually really happy to be playing, but this face shows how we feel about the long wait until the pool opens...

On the plus side, I think spring really arrived yesterday. We're all in our shirtsleeves today and embracing the sunshine and warmer weather. This was the weekend that people seem to start pouring out of the woodwork, emerging from the long winter and breathing deeply in the joys of spring. Scott got out to mountain bike. We took a walk through the park after going out to breakfast. Read books out on the porch. I hear Seattle is having this same weekend, and I'm sure there will be students all over UW tomorrow in their flip flops and shorts... the day we used to call, "Just because it's sunny, doesn't mean it's warm." But us northwest natives just can't help welcoming spring with pastey white, shivering legs. Bring it on!

Which to get?

Why not follow a post about not spending money with one about making a major purchase? That's just the way our world works. =) Now that we know we're getting a tax refund, we're contemplating a new computer. Our current laptop has been getting S-L-O-W-E-R by the day, and this would be our best opportunity to get a new one without breaking the bank. So we debate - Mac vs. PC. The commercials are funny, but don't really help our decision. We're PC users now and a PC would be more cost effective, but Macs are just so darn tempting. What to do?

Of course, we may decide to push that purchase off another year and spend the money on one of our other major wants (repaint the house, landscape backyard, etc), but we'll see. Any thoughts?